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W. e. FREEMAN, oFnIoHMoND; VIRGINIA.

Letters Patent No. 78,658, amante@ 9, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN 4PE'ITIGO-.llT--PIPEIS FOR LOGOMOTIVES.

@the tlgtmlr maar t: in time tetttts uert ma milling 'mit ni its time TO ALL'WHOM IT MAY CNCERN:

.Be it known that'I, W. G. FREEMAN, of Richmond, in the county of Henrico, and State of Virginia, have invented certain ncw'and useful Improvements in-Petticoat or Blast-Pipes'for Locomotives; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being'had to the accom-` panying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a partrof this specification, in which- Figure 1 representsa longitudinal section of a portion of o. locomotive-boiler with my improved-Petticoatpipe attached, and

' `Figure 2 a transverse section of the same.

The object of my invention is to eii'ectually equalize the draught through the different tubes of a locomotiveboiler, thereby imparting heat'more rapidly to the water contained in the boiler, -and generating steam easily with lessexpenditure'of fuel and less'destruetive action upon the fire-box and gratebars; and to this end my improvement'consists- A In providing the Petticoat-pipe, which surrounds the openings of the exhaust-pipes, with a cone or eonverging sheet, having its largest opening placed opposite to and' a short distance from the front lue-SheetQand communicating at its small end with the petticoat-pipe, for the purpose-'ofcausing the blast made bythe exhaust steam to draw equally through all the tubes.

` In th accompanying drawings, A. represents thesmoke-arch, and B4 the cylindrical or waist part of a locomotive-boiler. Y

The exhaust-pipes C C 'are carried into the smoke-arch inthe usual' manner, and havetheir openings in the petticoat-pipe D. This pipe is made of oblong section at its lower part, having .its greatest diameter placed transversely to the tubes; and having a converging sheet or cone, E, fastened to that side of itwhich is opposite the front tubejsheet Fr' vThe largeropening'of this cone is placed.l in front of the tube-sheet, and at a distance.

of about sxinches from it.

l The sheet should be bent as nearly as possible to the formrof a circle, which will cover the mouths of Aall the tubes, and at itsv smaller end, by which it is fastened tothe Petticoat-pipe, it should present a circularopening of about four-fifths the diameter of thecylinder, and having'its centre on aline with the mouths of the exhaust-l pipes, or nearly so. l i

The operation of the device is as follows: The exhaust steam from the cylinders, escaping through the con: tracted orifices of 'the exhaust-pipes, creates al vacuum in the smoke-arch, and consequent draught through the tubes, which ordinarily is greatest in the lowerrows. The smoke and gases, p assing outA of the mouths of the tubes, strike against the cone-E, which causes them to converge toward the centre of its smaller opening, through which they pass, and find exit through the petticoat-pipe into the stack. l

:Byv this means the aetio'nof the blast is equalized through the different tubes, enabling theheat of the products of combustion, passing through them, to be more e'ectually utilized, and an labundance of steam to be made with an easier tire, reducing the destructive action caused `by intense heat o u the iire-'box.

I do not claim the use of a Petticoat-pipe provided with a number 'of openings, either of the same or different sizes, such devices having been heretofore patented; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isf- The combination of the cone o r converging sheet E with a petticoat-pxpe, D, closed at its lower end, when arranged and operating as described, fer the purpose of equalizing the draught through the tubes by converging the escaping products of combustion towards .the mouths or nozzles of the exhaust-pipes.

In testimony'that I claimgthe foregoing as my own, I allix .my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' W. e. FREEMAN.-

Witnesses:

BENJ. PLANT, A. B. ARMSTRONG. 

